I was on an plane heading to Halifax a couple of years ago. The pilot descends, deploys the flaps to the first notch. Then the second notch... I can see the ground now. Third notch, landing gear out.

Then all of a sudden it's spool up, gear up, flaps retracted and start climbing. I'm thinking "whoa, missed approach. This is a go-around." But he *didn't* go around. As far as I could tell, he flew in a straight line for another 10-15 minutes, then landed.

SansNeural:I was on an plane heading to Halifax a couple of years ago. The pilot descends, deploys the flaps to the first notch. Then the second notch... I can see the ground now. Third notch, landing gear out.

Then all of a sudden it's spool up, gear up, flaps retracted and start climbing. I'm thinking "whoa, missed approach. This is a go-around." But he *didn't* go around. As far as I could tell, he flew in a straight line for another 10-15 minutes, then landed.

When the pilot starts the announcement with "The engines are fine, but..."

...no hydraulics for braking so take it in low and slow to get it to stop, with a bonus sight of lots of flashing red lights waiting for us at the tarmac and the giving us the spiel to hit the brace position on cue.

Either I survived it, or heaven looks a lot like fark, which would really be a bummer.

...no hydraulics for braking so take it in low and slow to get it to stop, with a bonus sight of lots of flashing red lights waiting for us at the tarmac and the giving us the spiel to hit the brace position on cue.

Either I survived it, or heaven looks a lot like fark, which would really be a bummer.

/at least it could look like TotalFark

Or even old Fark when there were boobies threads on the main page, etc.

Nogrhi:SansNeural: I was on an plane heading to Halifax a couple of years ago. The pilot descends, deploys the flaps to the first notch. Then the second notch... I can see the ground now. Third notch, landing gear out.

Then all of a sudden it's spool up, gear up, flaps retracted and start climbing. I'm thinking "whoa, missed approach. This is a go-around." But he *didn't* go around. As far as I could tell, he flew in a straight line for another 10-15 minutes, then landed.

I was on a plane that tried to land in a windstorm with gusts up to 67 mph. I had a window seat, looking out at the wing. I had no idea the wings on an airliner could flex so much. The plane was rolling heavily. The pilot aborted two attempts, both times getting so low I was sure we were about to touch down but wondering whether the wheels or a wingtip would hit the ground first. We went on to another airport. (That night, around the same time, the same winds snapped the trunk of a healthy 16 inch thick fir tree in my yard.)

Raises the question: which is more interesting, finding out later that you might have been killed, or anticipating your possible imminent death?

Way back when, I was on a Delta L-1011 that was forced to go-around due to a plane on the runway. Dude next to me grabbed the seat in front of him and shouted "Jesus Christ!" I said sir, this is NOT the time to take the Lord's name in vain.

I learned how to drink by being a frequent flyer.

I don't travel now. Delta sky waitresses are elderly these days. Flying is no fun anymore.

Creoena:ArkAngel: I recently visited my mother in Texas. On the return trip, the Delta plane ran out of tonic water for my gin and tonic. Scariest plane experience ever

Fixed.

I flew on a 727 in 1999. Delta. They acquired that aircraft sometime between 1972 and 1981 , and it looked every part of it. Besides the 707 I flew on in 1980, that was the oldest plane I've ever been on.

Damn delta, you had some old ass planes. They continued flying the 727s until 2003.

It was over the Bay of Bengal, on a flight from Dulles to Newark to Australia via Dubai and Malaysia that seemed to take 3 days. Turbulence so bad I thought we were done for. Same thing happened on the way back flying over the Bay of Bengal. Dangerous place to fly over. That area is responsible for the formation of some of the strongest and deadliest tropical cyclones in the world. It's where all the giant typhoons and cyclones form that hit Bangladesh and India every year.

i.r.id10t:bigbadideasinaction: When the pilot starts the announcement with "The engines are fine, but..."

...no hydraulics for braking so take it in low and slow to get it to stop, with a bonus sight of lots of flashing red lights waiting for us at the tarmac and the giving us the spiel to hit the brace position on cue.

Either I survived it, or heaven looks a lot like fark, which would really be a bummer.

/at least it could look like TotalFark

Or even old Fark when there were boobies threads on the main page, etc.

Many years back at SFO we were just starting the takeoff roll- engines spooled up, accelerating nicely when suddenly the pilot slams on the brakes. Looked out the right window and noticed a plane landing on the cross runway.

Pilot came on to comment that there was a trainee in the tower, but everything was fine: the boss had noticed and told him to abort. Made me feel real good...

My wife and I were flying home from our honeymoon in Sydney AU. Seventeen hour flight. The seatbelt light turns off, I stand up to get something out of my bag, and I get hit with a huge wave of vertigo that doesn't stop at the end of that flight, or the two connecting flights, or the drive home.

/Went to the doctor ASAP. BPPV. Did the Epley Maneuver on my head and wow. I thought I was miserable before...

TAs and RAs can occur even in a perfectly safe environment. One aircraft on high rate of climb cleared to 9000, the other descending to 10,000. Both planes could still get an RA, despite the ATC safe separation. TCAS is a fantastic tool, and it works, passengers need to be a bit less scared.

Wife and I have lifetime flight benefits, yet when we travel, I like to drive. She doesn't. She enjoys the waiting, coffee, etc as part of the adventure. I enjoy the adventure of driving. Unafraid of not going due to a pair of tweezers. But alas, after having 2 strokes, driving takes a lot out of me.For me, I feel the worst part of the trip is having to go with a bunch of other people. If I wanna stop somewhere, I can. Nothing beats my last driving trip to Texas for Xmas 2012. Drove for 18 hours in the snow, at night, averaging 30-35 mph. Seeing lots of people wiped out on the road. But when gott to Texas, roads opened up, no ice on bridges, no traffic. In parts, got over 130. After 4 days there, drove back, had met my wife in Texas. She saw all the snow, and asked, somewhat incredulously, "You drove in that? At night?"But it's part of my adventure./Next week; "Escape from Texas".

Glockenspiel Hero:Many years back at SFO we were just starting the takeoff roll- engines spooled up, accelerating nicely when suddenly the pilot slams on the brakes. Looked out the right window and noticed a plane landing on the cross runway.

Pilot came on to comment that there was a trainee in the tower, but everything was fine: the boss had noticed and told him to abort. Made me feel real good...

IIRC, it wasn't an ATC trainee but some kind of warning light that made a... Northwest 757 go from "almost to rotation speed" to "full reverse thrust and full brakes" at LAX some years back. Sure woke me up, though.

The first time I flew to Australia, we were about halfway between Hawaii and Australia, in a big part of the Pacific where there is nothing but open ocean and the nearest island is probably 2000 miles away, when all of a sudden an alarm started going off. An electronic voice started saying that we were losing cabin pressure, and oxygen masks would be deployed. A few passengers screamed. The flight attendants quickly and efficiently got everyone in their seats and buckled in. I was sitting next to a newlywed couple who were basically crying in each others arms. I was pretty angry because delays by American in Dallas had kept me from being on my scheduled flight, which would have left 12 hours earlier. Just my luck that a missed flight would end in a plane crash in the middle of the farking Pacific...

...a few minutes later the captain calls over the intercom, "Sorry mates, I hit the alarm switch by accident with my elbow. Everything's right."

We landed in Sydney, no problems. I've done the same trans-pacific flight 6 times since with no issues. Hopefully the next 4 trips later this year go as smoothly.

I was trying to leave Las Vegas once and experienced and aborted take off. We were roaring down the runway, the nose was just about to lift up, when instead the pilot slammed on the brakes and everybody lurched forward. After we stopped the pilot announced very calmly that we had to abort the take off because another plane was crossing the runway in front of us. And he said we were going to wait on the runway for the fire department to come out and see if the brakes were ok (on fire).

Then they decided to taxi back to the terminal. We sat there for a minute, and the pilot came on and said, in a very not calm voice, LISTEN VERY CLOSELY. LEAVE THE AIRCRAFT NOW. TAKE NOTHING WITH YOU. ALL PASSENGERS DISEMBARK IMMEDIATELY. LEAVE EVERYTHING.

So of course everyone jumped out of their seats ready to fight each other to be the first off the plane. Some of us started saying "stay calm!" and people actually did calm down. Eventually some of us got home on a smaller plane, after a scuffle near the other terminal door when they told us not everybody would fit on the replacement plane. I went from first in line to 12th after the mob rushed over to the door and started shoving. When we landed at home everybody was clapping and cheering.

I guess they figured they had to get us off the plane because the brakes were burning.

A few years ago, somewhere between Chicago & Seattle while flying westward, we hit a five minute patch of mild-to-rough turbulence. Not the worst I've been through, but it was enough to get me stop flipping through whatever magazine I had and look around the cabin. I had an aisle seat, sitting in the 2nd to last row in the back of the plane, and some pudgy, college-aged Asian kid who was in the window seat (middle seat vacant) sleeping never woke. We then hit a stride where for a good 20-30 seconds, it was smooth sailing and I figured it was over.

Then, BAM, the plane suddenly drops what had to be several hundred feet minimum, trays off the food cart which was just behind me go flying forward, leaving a trail of...stuff...from the back of the plane up about 15 rows. The sleeping pudgy Asian kid suddenly awakes to yell "SHIAT!!!"....

Then, again...nothing, and it was smooth the whole way to SeaTac. Pudgy Asian kid ended going RIGHT back to sleep and never said another word for the duration of the flight.

SansNeural:I was on an plane heading to Halifax a couple of years ago. The pilot descends, deploys the flaps to the first notch. Then the second notch... I can see the ground now. Third notch, landing gear out.

Then all of a sudden it's spool up, gear up, flaps retracted and start climbing. I'm thinking "whoa, missed approach. This is a go-around." But he *didn't* go around. As far as I could tell, he flew in a straight line for another 10-15 minutes, then landed.

That spooked me.

Wow, he must have been confused about where the runway was. A Russian pilot lined up to land on Interstate 5 near Seatac once. He figured it out and landed at the airport instead.

Flying from Jacksonville NC to Atlanta in a 60 seat commuter plane. The pilot announces we're headed for rough air. A minute later the flight attendant is hauling ass up the aisle with fear in his eyes. When the flight attendant is scared, I'm scared.

/Why yes, I did yell Oh my god when the plane hit turbulence and dropped suddenly// The lady in the seat across the aisle held my hand the rest of the way///I'm a terrible flier

Glockenspiel Hero:Many years back at SFO we were just starting the takeoff roll- engines spooled up, accelerating nicely when suddenly the pilot slams on the brakes. Looked out the right window and noticed a plane landing on the cross runway.

Pilot came on to comment that there was a trainee in the tower, but everything was fine: the boss had noticed and told him to abort. Made me feel real good...

Hey, probably better than you would have felt if the trainee didn't have someone watching over.

rbuzby:I was trying to leave Las Vegas once and experienced and aborted take off. We were roaring down the runway, the nose was just about to lift up, when instead the pilot slammed on the brakes and everybody lurched forward. After we stopped the pilot announced very calmly that we had to abort the take off because another plane was crossing the runway in front of us. And he said we were going to wait on the runway for the fire department to come out and see if the brakes were ok (on fire).

Then they decided to taxi back to the terminal. We sat there for a minute, and the pilot came on and said, in a very not calm voice, LISTEN VERY CLOSELY. LEAVE THE AIRCRAFT NOW. TAKE NOTHING WITH YOU. ALL PASSENGERS DISEMBARK IMMEDIATELY. LEAVE EVERYTHING.

So of course everyone jumped out of their seats ready to fight each other to be the first off the plane. Some of us started saying "stay calm!" and people actually did calm down. Eventually some of us got home on a smaller plane, after a scuffle near the other terminal door when they told us not everybody would fit on the replacement plane. I went from first in line to 12th after the mob rushed over to the door and started shoving. When we landed at home everybody was clapping and cheering.

I guess they figured they had to get us off the plane because the brakes were burning.

GungFu:As we approached 6 hours into our journey, I ripped open a packet of peanuts and one landed on the floor.

I'm sorry for your loss.

I do remember one time several years ago (I was probably 14 or 15 at the time) when I was sitting in a very crowded, busy gate, I ripped open a bag of potato chips and I managed to create a geyser of chips that covered everyone and everything w/in a 15ft radius of me.

About 20 years ago, I was on a flight into LAX. I looked out the window and saw the biggest set of landing gear I had ever seen. About that time, our plane took a small dive, then circled out over the water. The pilot came on the PA system and said that it appeared that a certain Chinese pilot didn't know the difference between runways A and B, and tried to land their 747 on top of us. We came back around and landed safely. Everybody in the cabin cheered instead of freaking out ;)